Sigmoid colonic metastasis from a squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: A rare case report with literature review

Abstract

Rationale: As the third most common cancer in women, cervical cancer usually spreads to adjacent organs. Distant metastasis from the cervix to the gastrointestinal tract is an extremely rare occurrence. Patient concerns: Herein, we present a rare case of a 57-year-old woman who was treated by hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix. A metastatic location in the sigmoid colon was revealed after 8 years causing an acute intestinal obstruction in this patient. Diagnoses: Final surgical pathology showed an invasive lesion with squamous differentiation in full thickness of the colon wall from mucosa to serosa. Meanwhile, the results of immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed the cancer cells were positive for CK5/6, P63, P40, and P16 confirming the diagnosis of metastatic sigmoid colonic carcinoma originating from SCC of the uterine cervix. Interventions: Sigmoid colon resection with lymph node dissection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (paclitaxel, carboplatin, and paprillizumab) was performed on the patient. Outcomes: The patient was disease-free 16 months after surgery. Lessons subsections: SCC is one of the rare malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract occurring as either a primary or secondary lesion. However, the secondary SCC of the colon has a poorer prognosis compared with the primary SCC. Therefore, colonic metastasis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute intestinal obstruction, especially in patients with the medical history of SCC in other organs.